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dire need of adequate accommodation. There are a number of cases
reported where the families find it impossible to segregate adult
sexes. On the other hand the families are too large to be accommodated
in any house under the ownership of the Council.
“Whilst the surveys made disclosed that there is a certain
amount of overcrowding, they also disclosed a percentage of unoccupied
dwellings. The local authority has no powers to deal
with the latter, however, but it is believed that much could be
done by co-operation with the owners. A certain amount of success
has already been achieved in this direction and tribute is hereby
acknowledged to those property owners who have co-operated.
“The proper course has obviously been taken by such authorities
in the original letting by giving preference to large families when
letting their houses. At the same time it is also known that other
Council tenants now find their present accommodation in excess
of requirements due to natural reduction in numbers of the family
during their tenancy. Re-distribution is therefore effected by
transfers amongst tenants or by houses becoming vacant and Council
tenants being transferred according to requirements.
"It has been found during normal investigations that elderly
couples and aged persons are still occupying the same accommodation
as when their families lived with them—a real waste of
accommodation and energy spent in its maintenance.
“As the families on the overcrowding schedule and persons
to be displaced under the clearance orders now supersede the list
of applications on the Housing Register in the allotment of houses
a very real social problem has to be faced, in addition to the problem
of providing adequate accommodation.
"Heretofore, and no doubt for good and sufficient reasons,
it has been the comparatively well-to-do applicant who has been
successful in obtaining suitable accommodation. His rent was
reasonably assured by virtue of his better financial circumstances
and he was more likely to keep the premises in a cleanly condition.
The only qualification for a Council house now, however, is that the
family must either be scheduled under a clearance order or as being
overcrowded—irrespective of the rent being reasonably assured or
expectation of their keeping the premises clean.
"The allocation of a vacancy arising on an established estate
to families who have been less fortunate in obtaining a sufficiency
of the necessities of life than their prospective neighbours frequently
gives rise to much unpleasantness. On the other hand, to segregate
these families into one section on the Estate or block of property
is to classify them and cannot be too strongly deprecated. Every